Monday, January 22, 2007

I like this new term that has popped up within the blogosphere as of late. While i thinnk that "choice" is certainly a perfect term for what I support, I think "reproductive justice" is also accurate, and certainly more powerful. "Reproductive justice" encompasses a lot more than abortion rights. It requires thinking about and fighting for the rights of pregnant women no matter what. It seems as though once a woman becomes pregnant, she loses her personhood status (assuming she had it in the first place) and becomes a broodmare. This fact is one of the reasons why I never want to become pregnant in my lifetime. Being pregnant in this society is humiliating and degrading. People feel as though they can tell you what to eat, what to wear, when to do what, how to give birth, when they can touch you and where, etc. etc. etc. and the list goes on. That's not even the most disturbing part. There are also forced c-sections with no consent given by the pregnant woman. Patronizing attitudes from doctors who think they know so much more and thus have a right to override a woman's right to consenting to a medical procedure. There is so much more than just the choice for an abortion out there, and I think that on this day that commemorates such an occasion for women's rights, a victory day for reproductive justice, that these things need to be discussed.

As for me? I'm still happy that we held on another year. We had some victories and some tough battles this year, but women's freedoms are still here. We are stillholding on to our right to bodily autonomy and integrity, and I am thankful every day that I don't have to worry that one day I might be forced to carry a rapist's baby, or any pregnancy that I don't want to carry. It makes me happy to know that my right to privacy is still legally equal to my boyfriend's, that neither of us will be forced to donate bodily resources at this time. I am happy ot know that I still have sexual freedom, despite the fact that some people would love to punish me for it.

Roe v Wade is a great monument for women's rights. Here's to having it stick around for many generations of women to come.

Happy Blog for Choice Day, ya'll.

P.S. - Fundies have too much money. They're televising the March for (Fetal) Life on two channels.